Blog
Never too high, never too low…
The statement is a simple but effective one, a quick and straightforward reminder to always keep emotions in check. As supporters, we have both a responsibility and a right to voice our opinion when things are going wrong. We also have a responsibility to remain able to see the bigger picture and to recognise that whilst things aren’t currently going our way on the pitch, our club is most definitely moving forward.
Twitterage Road
There is a fair smattering of Watford FC related folk on Twitter – the Watford Observer is represented by Observer Owl, myself and the other From the Rookery End boys Jon and Jason are on there and the legendary Watford Badge Moose provides official tweets from inside Vicarage Road.
The Hornets who never played!
So rules first. Actually, no rules. Otherwise the side would be full of insignificant players of little interest. Maybe. So my XI will include school boys, youth teamers, reserve team players, trialists, etc, etc.
In goal and I’ve got to make a decision already. Lee Grant is a reasonable keeper & was a youth player at Watford as well as being a Hornets fan, but I’m going for bench warmer Yves Makubu Makalambay, who Aidy Boothroyd signed on loan from Chelsea in 2006. Now we’ve had many a young starlet on loan from one of the big premier league clubs. And I always enjoy seeing their careers progress. Yves is no different and he has now reached the level of, er, Championship bench warmer. Just now at Swansea (funny that, ex Chelsea, Brendan Rodgers, etc.) instead of Watford.
Defenders. Wow, this was quite hard. Apart from at left back. He is our inspiration for creating this team, so welcome aboard Jure Travner. At right back I’ve gone for Ben Herd. A product of the Watford youth scheme whose career has been played out at the lower league level. His WFC circle was somewhat completed earlier this year when he provided opposition for the Golden Boys in the first round of the League Cup at Aldershot. The centre back positions get really interesting. The first ended up captaining England! At cricket! Mike Gatting used to turn out for Watford’s reserves. Now I don’t know what position he played, but let’s be honest, he has always carried a bit. I can’t see him ever springing an offside trap, racing down the wing or running box to box. So let’s stick him in at centre back. His partner there is a former trialist who wore yellow in a friendly against Borehamwood. Sol Bamba seemed set to sign until the Hornet’s pulled out at the last minute for reasons unknown. He has recently joined Sven’s Leicester City (I swear that’s what they are officially called these days) and has banged in a couple of goals for them.
The midfield starts with a tragic story. No Watford fan of the time will ever forget how the new season anticipation and excitement was brought to a shuddering halt on 9th August 2003 when news filtered through of the death of Man Utd loanee Jimmy Davis in a car crash. Football seemed a little less important that day. Martin Devaney’s Watford career was a bit bizarre to say the least. His signing from Cheltenham was intriguing if not headline making. And as the weeks went past, his failure to make the starting eleven led to rumours of rifts & fighting. Once it became clear he was never going to be even a bit part of what turned out to be a promotion story, he was offloaded to Barnsley. In a strange twist of irony, all three sides were promoted via the play-offs that season. Now here comes a really unusual selection. My research tells me that Glenn Hoddle, no less, was a “youth player” with Watford. By research I mean I saw it on Wikipedia. So I did some further research (Google) and found lots of articles that had blatantly lifted the words from his Wiki entry. So if anyone can back this up with additional info, please do. In the mean time, as he was a pretty good footballer, he can stay in the team.
Now I’ve gone for a 4-3-3 formation. Partly because I like attacking football, partly because the first three players I thought of were forwards. Junior was another of those early Boothroyd signings that promised something. Not a lot, but pre season brought hope that he would give us something to cheer. Instead the rumour mill was put to heavy use again as some dodgy documentation and permit problems brought a swift end to his Watford career. Instead, Aidy had to settle for signing a couple of strikers called Darius and Marlon. Now Aidy dispensed of all of the hassle and effort of signing our next striker. Instead, Les Ferdinand was a Hornet on non contract terms. We kind of hoped we’d see him spring off the bench to score a cracker or two, just like he did in his Premier League days. But he never made it onto the pitch. Only into this team. And so to the man who makes up the eleven. We’ve come full circle. Think back to last month’s transfer window and the man who moved from Hoffenheim to West Ham for undisclosed millions (probably). Demba Ba was given a Hornet’s contract by Ray Lewington in 2004 but Mr Boothroyd (again) decided he wasn’t good enough not long after his arrival at The Vic.
And that’s my team. I’d like to thank you for reading this, and Aidy Boothroyd for supplying half the team.
— Jaso
Leaked Emails #2 – Cardiff Away
As you will be aware, Watford went over the border into Wales to take on Cardiff last weekend.
Reasons to be cheerful (2 and 3)
I on the other hand represent the other side of the coin, the second type. I’m the supporter who at 3-0 up with 2 minutes to go, will still be thinking ‘we really need a fourth here…’ I don’t mind admitting it, when it comes to football, I’m a dark, tortured and pessimistic soul.
Despite my eternally iserable disposition, at present even I, the Rookery’s personal raincloud, have to admit that things are looking pretty good at Vicarage Road. We’ve won five games in a row including the clinical dismantling of the divisions top two sides, we are the top scorers in the Country, Danny Graham is the leading scorer in the Championship and we’ve got an awesome away shirt again. It would take an effort of Victor Meldrew-esque proportions not to be at least reasonably content with where Watford are right now.
Reasons to be cheerful
For a little while now, Watford fans have felt that their club was slowly returning to the community centric, caring, family focussed roots that served it so well during the rise to prominence in the 1980s.
CHRISTMAS PRESENCE
Well, that’s that for another year then. After the seemingly eternal build up, the big day has been and gone and we’re all left wondering what all the fuss was about. Having said that, with a two year old daughter in tow it is a bit easier to get excited about Christmas. Admittedly she wasn’t really sure about what she was opening (apart from her prized cuddly Harry Hornet of course – ‘oooooohhh Harry! Harry! Harry!’ but the look on her face as she tore open her presents will live with me for a long time.
There was of course a time when I too saw Christmas as something other than an excuse for too much to eat and drink. As a youngster I loved the whole spectacle. The lights, the decorations, the Christmas TV, the time off school, the sight of my Dad getting rip roaring drunk and of course there was the presents. I had my fair share of great gifts. A Commodore 64 (Kids, ask your Dad, or even your Grandad!), a mini snooker table, a book about Greek mythology, which inexplicably, I loved. My best present of all time though? Easy…
It was 1987 and I was ten. I can’t remember anything else about that particular Christmas apart from this one present. It’s something that I still own and treasure to this day. It’s something that evokes such memories, such happiness, such excitement. What was this wonder-present? It was a Watford Football Club calendar. Nothing too special about that – I’m guessing a few of you got one this year. This one was special though. As I removed it from it’s wrapping I noticed a mish mash of squiggles and writing on the front page. Surely Mum hadn’t got me a used calendar? Closer inspection revealed the truth. It had been signed. By the entire Watford first team.
It was almost too much for my youthful mind to comprehend. I had in my hand an object that had previously been held by my heroes. Some of the autographs were even personalised. I couldn’t believe it. I looked to my beaming Mum for an explanation. It turned out she had been at the Hornets Shop and the team were training at Vicarage Road that day, allowing her to get Messrs Coton, McClelland, Jackett, Blissett et al to scribble their names on my present.
Forward-wind to the present day and in reflecting on the first six ‘From the Rookery end’ podcasts I got to thinking about the interview we conducted with goalkeeper Scott Loach. It was my first visit to London Colney and the first time I’d be meeting any of the current crop of players. I confided in co-presenters Jason and Jon that I was ‘a bit nervous’. With hindsight, it wasn’t nerves, it was excitement. Scott Loach wasn’t even born when I ripped open that Christmas present back in 1987, yet here I was, just as excited about meeting him as I was when seeing the words ‘To Mike, best wishes, Brian Talbot’ on the front of my calendar.
Initially I was pleased that my love for football had remained intact to such an extent. There aren’t many hobbies that appeal just as much when you are 33 as they did when you were 10. There was however another issue to deal with. Here was I, a grown man, full of nervous energy about meeting a bloke who is over ten years younger than me. I thought about this for a while. Of course, it isn’t just Loach that is over a decade younger than me. The majority of team and probably the coaching team aren’t old enough to remember Grange Hill or the days when a Snickers was called a Marathon. Did I feel strange about this? Is it a bit odd that I hold this younger generation of whippersnappers in such high regard?
For me, the answer is no. Just as my autographed Christmas present excited me, football excites me. Watching Watford excites me and if people have the ability to continually instil such passionate and enjoyment, then whatever their age – they must be talented. It’s a dark day when you can’t appreciate talent, so my conscience is clear. If you see a bloke who looks like he is old enough to know better celebrating a goal like a ten year old, well, that’s probably me.
Come on you Horns